SIALKOT: The project of constructing Sialkot-Lahore motorway has been awaiting execution for nine years and during this time successive governments have played politics over it, including retired Gen Pervez Musharraf regime and the PML-Q government.

The project has been planned and abolished several times during this period. Gen Musharraf had initiated the project in 2007 as the then chief executive of the country and laid its foundation stone.

Later, the PML-N government in Punjab had abolished it allegedly on political grounds, saying it was hard to implement due to high cost, despite a strong criticism by other parties.

In 2015, the PML-N government had revived the project with a modified and revised design and route, saying it had great commercial viability.

Seven months of the current fiscal year 2015-16 have passed, but construction work has not started on any mega project, including the Sialkot-Lahore motorway and an international level University of Engineering and Technology here.

These projects had been announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in September 2015 and their construction vowed to be started as early as possible for socio-economic and human development of the region.

Locals urged Sialkot-based federal ministers Khwaja Asif and Zahid Hamid to ensure early removal of hurdles, if any, in the way of executing these mega projects.

Talking to exporters during a meeting at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Sept 12, 2015, Federal Minister for Defence, Water and Power Khwaja Asif had said the prime minister had approved the two projects. He had said the 90km motorway would be constructed on a Build-Operate and Own system and its estimated cost Rs45 billion, adding construction work would begin in October and the project completed in two years.

According to the revised design, the motorway would start from Sahowala-Sambrial and end at Kala Shah Kaku via Daska, Gujranwala and Kamonki. Asif had revealed the project would be expanded to Kharian from Sambrial in the second phase.

Local MPAs Chaudhry Muhammad Ikram, Manshaullah Butt and Chaudhry Arshad Javaid Warraich said construction work on the two mega projects would be started very soon.

Moreover, locals were of the view the dilapidated Daska-Pasrur road was in dire need of the government’s attention. This road needed to be reconstructed first on top priority before establishment of the Sialkot-Lahore motorway. They urged both federal and provincial governments to review their priorities.

Almost entire 28km long stretch of the main Daska-Pasrur road had developed three to four feet deep ditches. This was the only main road for the more than 200,000 people of 200 villages of these tehsils. Those intending to go to Daska, Pasrur, Chawinda, Qila Kalarwala, Zafarwal and Narowal were facing great difficulties, as no vehicle or even donkey carts were able to ply on this road due to the ditches.

Talking to the media here on Tuesday, locals said hundreds of thousands of people had to frequently travel through this dilapidated road, while hundreds of farmers had to bring their agricultural produce to markets in Daska and Pasrur. They pointed out that this road had been constructed 15 years ago, and not repaired even once since then.

The people said Pasrur-based Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid, MNA Sahibzada Syed Iftikharul Hasan Shah from Daska and MPAs Chaudhry Mohsin Ashraf Baryar and Muhammad Asif Bajwa from Daska had made several promises regarding early construction of this road before both 2008 and 2013 general elections. But after winning the polls, they did not honour their promises.

The people urged Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to take note of the situation and ensure early reconstruction of this road.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2016